A 'Diplomatic Journey'
by FictionalDrifter
Summary: Five years after the Fall of Galbatorix, the two eggs that Eragon entrusted to the Elves have chosen their Riders. Meanwhile, Eragon has established the new Riders' Stronghold - He's also sent Arya an invitation to come and visit the new Home of The Riders: This is the story of Eragon and Arya's reunion... {I don't own the 'Inheritance'- series, or any characters in this story.}
1. Chapter 1

**A 'Diplomatic Journey'**

It has been almost five years since the end of the War… the fall of King Galbatorix. Five years since Eragon and Saphira left Alagaesia for lands unknown…

To some, the Rider and his Dragon have already become more legend than fact. Than there were those for whom not a day would go by when they do not think about what was, and what might have been – had circumstances not required Eragon and Saphira to make their life- altering journey…

Chief among these people, were the villagers of Carvahall: The village nearest to the farm where Eragon had been raised…

The 'original' Carvahall was gone, of course… Destroyed by the soldiers of Galbatorix's Empire. The people who'd lived there had rebuilt, of course – Near- by, though not where they had lived before: The remains of their old homes had been left as they were, as both a tribute and a memorial to the series of events that had reshaped not only their lives, but the whole of the land in which they lived.

Strong though their connection to Eragon and Saphira was, there were others who felt their absence even more strongly… – Despite the fact that they were the ones most often in contact with them. They – of course, were Arya Drotning – the Queen of the Elves, and her dragon – Firnen…

_Reminiscences_…

Arya roused herself from her waking- dreams at the same time as she had every morning – ever since she'd assumed her mother's role as Queen of her people.

Her life had undergone so much change in what – by the elves' reckoning, was an almost- unimaginably short amount of time: Five years ago, she was fighting alongside the members of the Varden – acting as her mother's ambassador. Now she was Queen… and a Dragon Rider. And – since the two eggs that Eragon had entrusted to her had hatched, a teacher…

As always, these thoughts swirled through her mind – though not as prominent as they sometimes were: She'd had '_the dream_', again…

_'The Dream' / Flashback…_

_The days leading up to Eragon and Saphira's departure had passed far too quickly for Arya's liking… Now the day had arrived – The time had come: There were no excuses that would permit them to delay any longer..._

_Reluctantly, she'd called to Firnen – asking him to come to the ship, to retrieve her… He'd come, and plucked her up off the deck, and carried her back towards the shore – where Roran Strong-hammer; Eragon's cousin – was waiting…_

_Firnen had landed near- by, and Arya had dismounted. The three of them stood there, in silence, as the elven- ship vanished around a curve in the river…_

_Finally, Roran turned to her, "He loves you, you know…" Arya had merely nodded: She knew – and she had known for some time, now…_

_Than Roran had continued, "I could tell – Pretty much from the first time I saw the two if you in the same place… The topic came up after Eragon, Saphira and I had made camp – the evening before we rescued Katrina from Helgrind." He sighed, "I'll admit: I gave him a bit of a hard time about it… – Until he explained his reasoning…"_

_That had surprised her, "… His reasoning?" – The words were out before she could stop them, which was unlike her…_

_ Roran nodded, "I got the impression that he hadn't really been able to put it all into words before then, and that the topic was… Well," he shrugged – and continued, "If Eragon was staying I wouldn't meddle, but… I know you can examine the memories of others. I couldn't recall all of the details myself, but…"_

_ Roran's offer to share the memory had surprised her, but Arya had accepted – feeling a strong need to understand…_

_Roran had opened his mind, and a moment later, Arya found herself standing – unseen, next to a campfire. Sitting on logs – on opposite sides of the fire, sat Eragon and Roran…_

_The first part of their conversation meant little to her, but before long…_

_When Roran finally brought up the 'relevant topic', Eragon had tried to dodge the question – though Arya could see the signs of a deep- rooted sadness, in Eragon's expression…_

_Finally, Eragon decided that there was little point in continuing his attempts to deflect the question, "… Contrary to what you, Arya, and everyone else seem to believe, I am aware that other eligible women exist in Alagaesia and that people have been known to fall in love more than once. No doubt if I spent my days in the company of ladies from King Orrin's court, I might indeed decide that I fancy one. However, my path is not so easy as that. Regardless of whether I can shift my affections to another – and the heart, as you observed, is a notoriously fickle beast – the question remains: Should I?"_

_RORAN: "Your tongue has grown as twisted as the roots of a fir- tree: Speak not in riddles."_

_ERAGON: " Very well: What human woman could begin to understand who and what I am, or the extent of my powers? Who could share in my life? Few enough, and all of them magicians. And of that select group, or even of woman in general, how many are immortal?'_

_RORAN: "(Laughter) You might as well ask for the sun in your pocket or –" Roran fell silent for several heartbeats, than said, "You cannot be."_

_ERAGON: "I am." – For a moment, the conversation turned to the limits of Eragon's immortality, than… "If I do (avoid 'those dangers'), then yes. Saphira and I will… endure."_

_RORAN: "It seems both a blessing and a curse."_

_ERAGON: "Aye. I cannot in good conscience marry a woman who will age and die while I remain untouched by time; such an experience would be equally cruel for both of us. On top of that, I find the thought of taking one wife after another throughout the long centuries rather depressing."_

_RORAN: "Can you make someone immortal with magic?" _

_ As Eragon answered Roran's question, Arya had felt a rush of understanding: Immortality, and his transformation, had made Eragon the most 'elf-like' of humans… And, arguably, spending most of her life among humans could make her the most 'human-like' of elves. –– Eragon might have, initially, zeroed- in on her because of her beauty, but – over time, he'd become interested in her because he saw her as the only person who could truly understand who and what he was: part-Human, part-Elf, all Dragon Rider…_

_ Arya's mind returned to the conversation, once she realized that Eragon had started to answer Roran's next question…_

_ERAGON: "… When I lived in Ellesmera, it was easy for me to accept how the dragons had changed my appearance. After all, they gave me many gifts besides. Also, the elves were friendlier to me after the Agaiti Blodhren. It was only after I rejoined the Varden that I realized how different I've become… It bothers me too. I'm no longer just human, and I'm not quite an elf. I'm something else in- between…"_

_ Their conversation continued, but Roran indicated that that was all that he intended to share with here. Troubled, Arya had withdrawn from his mind and – once again, they stood on the shores of the lake…_

_ A few minutes later, Arya and Roran climbed back onto Firnen's back, and the green- dragon had risen into the sky…_

_Arya could tell that Roran wasn't angry – nor had he shared the memory to make her feel guilty… But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she herself had been coming to the same realization that Eragon had reached – albeit more slowly..._

Only now that Eragon was gone, was she beginning to realize what he had truly been to her… But what could she do about it?

She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts, that it was several minutes before her eyes found the scroll that lay on her breakfast- tray – which had been set just inside the entrance to her apartments in Tildari Hall… What truly excited her, however, was the band of silver that bound the scroll of paper into a tube: It was inset with what appeared to be a small blue gemstone – though she knew that it was, in fact, a small scale from a sapphire- blue dragon: It looked just like all of the other letters that Eragon had sent, over the past few years…

_The Invitation_…

Arya eagerly slipped the silver band off of the scroll, unrolled it, and began to read…

"Arya,

Our new Stronghold is complete, and we are ready to receive our first students. The island we have chosen is proving itself to be even more than we had initially hoped. – As I described in an earlier letter, it is nearly half- again the size of Vroengard – though fortunately lacking the infestation of 'burrow- grubs'. (– Honestly, I can't complain.)

Also – When events allow, Saphira and I would like to invite you both to visit to our new stronghold; Both to see it for yourself, and to help us choose a name for it – As one of the first Rider and Dragon pairs of the New Order, it is only right that you be part of the decision. (I could try to describe the island to you, but nothing I could say in a letter would do it justice.) - Eragon

Arya's spirits immediately began too lift: Her current students – an Urgal, and a young human- boy – were both very near the point at which they and their dragons would be ready to make the journey! – They could leave by the end of this week! – Possibly even sooner!

Arya hurriedly scribbled a polite reply, recited the spell that would send her note directly to Eragon – without actually crossing the intervening distance… Than she reached across her bond with Firnen – to tell him the good news…

From what must have been close to two miles away, Firnen's euphoric bugle scared several flocks of birds out of their trees. – As she watched from her window, Arya had to smile, and she thought to herself, 'It will be good to see Eragon, again!'

**_To be continued…_**

**PS****: This is my first 'M- Rated' story, so let me know what you think - as I add to it.**


	2. Chapter 2

_The Home of the New Order…_

Eragon sat; cross- legged – next to the brook, which flowed through a clearing that lay but a few minutes walk from the newly completed Stronghold of the Riders.

It was an imposing sight, even to him – despite his and Saphira's having been involved in every stage of both the planning and construction of the massive buildings…

Still, that it was imposing came as no surprise, of course: He had visited the island of Vroengard, and – even as they had begun their journey away from the land that was the only home he'd ever known, ideas had begun to form in his mind…

They had travelled for the better part of a year before they had found this island, and – almost before he and Saphira had set- down at the edge of one of its sandy beaches, they had a feeling that this was it… This was the place.

They had begun to set- up what had – at first, resembled a semi- permanent camp… or town. The better part of their first month had gone into scouting- out the island – locating areas suitable to quarry stone from, and made general preparations for the work that would follow…

It had been slow going, at first: Lifting even a few blocks – blocks big enough to be of any use, took an incredible amount of work…

Then – as their third week on the island was coming to a close, the first dozen of the wild- dragons' eggs had begun to hatch.

Once that had happened, and Saphira had had to start bringing- in food for the ravenous younglings, the work came to a complete standstill. –– There was no way they could continue without her – as the blocks would require far more energy to shift, much less move, than could be done practically with magic alone. (That being said, they continued to cut the blocks – so they would, at least, be making progress.)

It was just as well that they had: With prey as bountiful as it was, Saphira had no trouble finding food – and the wild- dragons were _growing_… very quickly.

Several months after their arrival, Saphira laid her first clutch of eggs – from when she and Firnen had mated, before they'd left Alagaesia…

In fact, by the end of their first year on the island, close to fifty wild- dragons had joined them in their work – including four from Saphira's clutch…

Eragon's thoughts returned to the present, as he sensed first Saphira's approach – and then the minds of the four dragons that accompanied her: Eager to finally meet their father…

It had been exactly seven days since he'd sent his invitation to Arya, and approximately six days, twenty- three hours, and thirty- seven minutes since he'd received her reply. – Buildings would have to be added as their numbers grew to what they had once been, but they could be added as the need arose.

Saphira appeared a few minutes later – landing just long enough for him to climb onto her back, and then they rose into the sky, and angled in the direction of the beach…

Arya, Firnen, and their new pupils should be arriving within the hour…

_Reunion_…

Arya and Firnen were the first to land, followed – seconds later, by two smallish- dragons: A purple, on which sat a human- boy, and a reddish- brown – on whose back sat an Urgal…

The Riders slid down from their saddles, and introductions were made…

From the looks of awe on their faces when they were introduced, Eragon knew that they had heard the tales of his and Saphira's deeds – and likely more than once…

The expression on the Urgal's face was one of such respect, Eragon could tell that – as Nar- Garzvog had promised; the Urgal Clans had begun teaching his and Saphira's names to their children – as well as how it was Eragon who had made it so that the Urgalgra could join the ranks of the Riders (… Either that, or Eragon had beheaded a hundred foes without realizing it, as he made his way towards them).

Ones the formalities had been observed, Eragon and Saphira's new- students were lead away by waiting elves – who would show them to their quarters, and give them a tour of the Stronghold.

The moment they were gone, the other dragons – who had been waiting next to Saphira, surged forward...

Firnen lowered his head to their level, and – for several minutes, Firnen's entire head vanished from view.

Finally, Saphira took pity on Firnen, and called them back, **'Come; we will hunt.'**

Somewhat reluctantly, the young dragons backed away, and followed their mother into the air. After several deep breaths, Firnen – who'd been on the verge of being smothered to death by his own hatchlings, followed them into the air…

This left Eragon and Arya alone, together – For the first time in over five years. For several minutes, they simply stood there – taking in the others' appearance...

Finally, in a voice too low for anyone else to hear - even if there had anyone else been near- by, Eragon whispered Arya's True- Name… The familiar current flowed through Arya – as body and mind recognized all that she was in those words…

Arya smiled. Before Eragon could say anything more, she – in a voice as low as his had been, whispered what had once been Eragon's True Name… But the current of recognition did not come: Eragon's True Name had changed…

Arya's mind felt like it had frozen: The world around her seemed a little bit colder…

Before she could wrench her mind back to her immediate surroundings, Eragon brought his mouth to her ear, and whispered his _new_ True Name…

The words flowed into Arya's mind… dissipating the cold feeling as though it was a light frost that was suddenly feeling the warmth of the sun: _Then_ came the current of recognition, as Eragon's entire being reacted to the words…

_Then_ came a new rush of comprehension: _Eragon had begun to mend the flaws he had found in himself, when he had first discovered his True Name_ – and he had made respectable progress, given that only five years had passed… _On top of that, he had finally adjusted to his new role as a Teacher – though she felt a shred of uncertainty that she was certain wouldn't last long…_

Still feeling a touch of panic, Arya searched through Eragon's True Name – looking for the part that pertained to her…

What she found verified what she had learned from the memory that Roran had shared with her – of his and Eragon's conversation, near the base of Helgrind...

His feelings for her – on the whole, had not changed – though they were not quite the same: She realized then, that Eragon had spent a fair amount of time puzzling out just what her name meant… Then the truth hit her: _Not only did Eragon now know 'who' she was; He __**understood**__ her. Furthermore, she could sense a veritable river of respect that flowed alongside, around, and through his original feelings: All toward her…_

_Her earlier thoughts about Eragon being 'the most elf-like of humans', and herself as 'the most human-like of elves' were spot- on… But not even she had imagined the full implications of what that truly meant…_

Just like that, the thought that had been tugging at the back of her mind – the one she couldn't seem to come to a decision on… ceased to trouble her: Just like that, she'd made her decision. –– _But now was not the time to speak of it…_

Her tension drained away - as though it had never been. She turned to face Eragon, smiling – easily, "I have heard much about this island – and the new Stronghold of Our Order, and I would very much like to see it."

Eragon grinned in return, "It would be an honour to show you." – They made their way up the one of the paths that leads up from the beach, and towards the inner- part of the island…

**_To be continued…_**


	3. Chapter 3

_The Welcome Feast_…

By the time her tour was complete, Arya could see what Eragon had meant about the island being "even more than (they) had initially hoped"…

Much of the outer part of the island was sheer cliff – rising straight up out of the sea, and far too steep to climb without magic: Any normal magic- user who attempted the feat would have been so exhausted on reaching the top, that their presence would be discovered long before they would have regained even a fraction of their strength…

The few places where boats could safely land were within easy view of at least one of the half- dozen watch- towers that had already been built and manned by Elvin sentinels…

… It was almost as though the island had 'known' that – one day, it would be needed for this purpose, and had shaped itself accordingly…

But it did not stop there: Approximately fifty miles away from the far side of the island, there was a chain of smaller islands – the largest of which had an active volcano… Over time, and between eruptions, the land above had shifted – resulting in the formation of a chain of 'safe' islands – pockmarked with caves of varying sizes: Free for taking by any dragon who wanted a cave of their own. As the years passed, more islands would form – and more caves would form with them…

As they were returning to the Stronghold itself, Arya noticed how hungry she had grown – especially compared to Firnen; who'd eaten and was now dozing in the sun – Saphira and their younglings curled up around him…

By the time they arrived, the others had gathered, and ready to eat…

Over the course of the meal, the conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics. Eragon talked about how he passed his time – whenever he wasn't absorbed in the construction of one building or another. (Including his habit of spending an hour or two every evening in the Great Library, the contents of which having finally been reclaimed for The Riders… – Arya carefully filed this piece of information away…).

When the meal had finished, everyone parted ways – to rest, and prepare for the following day…

Arya returned to her rooms, though only long enough to make a few changes to her attire… Then she made her way back along the streets and pathways, until she arrived at the Great Library.

After some searching, she found the book – and page, that she was looking for, and – careful to mark the correct passage, set it down on the table by the window… During their tour, Eragon had told her that the view from that window was one of his personal favorites, and that it was where he always sat – so long as the space was free…

With everything in place, Arya drifted back into the rows of books – to wait…

_Soon after…_

Eragon was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that _his first students were here – as was Arya_… – He knew that he was prepared for the task ahead, even though his own education had been… 'Untraditional', but still…

He entered the massive library, and made his way to his usual spot. Somewhat to his surprise, he found a book lying on the table, though nobody seemed to be nearby…

Than he noticed that one of the pages was marked… Curiously, he opened the book, and began to read…

He thought he'd heard the term before – somewhere, though it was harder to pronounce in its written form…

The passage described a ceremonial- belt, "… worn by elven women – though infrequently. It is of no functional significance, and its purpose is symbolic: For an Elvin woman to unfasten this belt, and hand it to a male, is an indication that she is willing to engage in sexual activity with the one to whom it is entrusted…"

Eragon was pondering who might have left the book there, and why… when he heard the soft sound of footsteps behind him…

He turned around, and saw Arya – emerging from the rows of bookshelves. The first thing he noticed was that she'd changed into a loosely- fitting green gown… The second was that – fastened around her waist, was the very type of ceremonial belt of which he'd just been reading…

Her bright eyes never leaving his, Arya reached down and unfastened the belt – rolled it into a tight loop, and held it out to him…

Hardly able to believe what his senses were telling him, Eragon reached out with his left hand, and grasped the belt…

Arya smiled, and took his free hand – her expression one that Eragon never thought he'd see on _anyone's_ face – least of all hers…

Still without speaking, Arya lead the way back to her rooms…

_A short while later…_

Once the doors to Arya's rooms closed behind them, Arya let go of Eragon's hand, and took several long strides into the room…

Then she turned to face him, and – as she did, her hands rose to unfasten the intricate silver chain that wound behind her neck, and held up her gown…

A moment later the gown fell away, and Arya stood – naked, before Eragon…

Eragon wasn't sure what his expression must have looked like, but it seemed to amuse Arya – who let out a trill of bird- like laughter… As the sound faded, she tilted her head – slightly, towards the bed in the far corner…

Eragon felt his face redden, but he needed no convincing…

A moment later, they slipped between the sheets… and – seconds later, they felt the minds of their dragons: Both of whom seemed to be radiating a strange combination of surprise and… Inspiration? …

Then Eragon and Arya sensed Saphira and Firnen rise into the air– and a little ways to the east...

After that, things got a little… 'Confusing' – What with Eragon being bonded to a _female_ dragon, and Arya to a _male_ dragon. Once they'd managed to… 'Disentangle' their shared emotions, they separated their minds slightly – so the bond between the Riders and their respective Dragons grew slightly more distant.

Than things grew a little more… 'Settled'.

Each of them lowered the barriers around their minds, and their consciousness mingled…

Neither Arya nor Eragon had spoken _aloud_ since their conversation during the feast: They didn't need to…

After a time, they simply lay there… side by side – a feeling of contentment between them, as they each slid into their waking dreams…

**_To be continued…_**


	4. Chapter 4

_Time Flies_…

The days that followed passed far to quickly for their liking, though they made the best of the time they had.

Whether they were working with the new Riders and their dragons, or engaged in some other matter – picking a name for their new stronghold, for example, Eragon and Arya were never apart for more than a few minutes at a time.

They spent the nights in either Eragon's or Arya's quarters – either talking, or simply enjoying each other's company...

During the second night of Arya's stay – which they spent in Eragon's quarters, Arya asked after the 'Eldunari' that had been rescued from Galbatorix's citadel… During the next hour, Eragon told her about several of the conversations he'd had with some of the newly- liberated 'Eldunari': It had been a rather grim two- hours…

Then Eragon began to describe the ways in which he'd begun to help them recover – and methods he intended to use, when the opportunity arose...

Once he'd explained that Galbatorix was dead – and that they were free, Eragon had begun to tell the 'Eldunari' of the task he had undertaken: To build a new stronghold, and restore the Riders to what they had been in the centuries before Galbatorix. Then – desperate to find some way to help the tortured- 'Hearts', Eragon offered to find some way in which they could help in the Rebuilding of Their Order…

**_Flashback_**: _The moment Eragon had voiced his idea, all of the newly- liberated 'Eldunari' who remained– even a few of those still asking to have their 'Eldunari' smashed – stopped speaking… and turned their attention to Eragon: Many of them had been so far- gone, that the idea that they could _help_ to repair the damage Galbatorix had forced them to inflict had never occurred to them… _

_The idea was enough to chase all thoughts of 'Entering the Void' from their minds, and they began insisting that they start immediately…_

That news had brightened the mood in the room considerably, and deepened Arya's feeling of satisfaction – when she thought of the previous night…

At the start of their third night together, Arya told Eragon that she was pregnant…

Several expressions flashed across Eragon's face in quick succession: Surprise, than a flicker of uncertainty – as though wondering if he'd heard her correctly… Finally, a combination of awe, wonder – and all of the other emotions that Arya herself felt…

The main topic of conversation that night had been possible names for their child… To their mutual surprise and delight, they discovered that they were both drawn to the same two names:

If they had a son, his name would be 'Evandar' – after Arya's father…

If they had a daughter, her name would be 'Selena' – after Eragon's mother.

Curiously, Arya had asked Eragon to explain his reasons, Eragon had replied, "A child is like a flower that has yet to bloom – Full of life, and potential. During his rein, Galbatorix set many fields aflame… burning countless flowers, and leaving deep scars. I would not want to look on the face of a child, and see the scars of the last person to carry their name." –– Arya nodded; She herself had been thinking along similar lines…

On the fourth day, Arya and Firnen prepared to return to Ellesmera: Eragon, Saphira, their students, and the other elves came to see them off – and wish them fair- winds.

Neither of Arya or Firnen was 'pleased' to be leaving, though this separation was not nearly as hard as the last one had been: They could send and receive letters – as before, and they could visit – either for business, or pleasure…

Arya glanced back – to check that the chest with the (four) dragon- eggs, which she was bringing back with her, was secure. As she did, her hand drifted down to rest on her lower- belly, '_And this time,_" she thought, "_We will not be __entirely__ apart…"_

**_END_**


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